Rajasthan leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal took a memorable hat-trick in a five overs a side contest that was eventually called off due to intermittent rain, pushing Bangalore out of the IPL play-off race here on Tuesday.&nbsp;

Needing 22 off the final 10 balls, Royals were favourites to pocket two points but showers lashed Chinnaswamy again and both teams had to share a point each.

The no result keeps Rajasthan&nbsp;mathematically alive in the tournament as they have 11 points from 13 games with one match to go. The visitors were 41 for one in 3.2 overs when the rain returned to the Chinnaswamy with Sanju Samson (28 off 13) being their top-scorer.

Bangalore got a point from the called off game, taking them to nine points from 13 games, ending all their hopes of progressing in the tournament.&nbsp;

Rajasthan limited RCB to 62 for seven in five overs following Gopal's hat-trick.

Rajasthan had won the toss and opted to field but rain arrived and delayed the start of the game by three hours and thirty minutes.&nbsp;

The game finally began after a long delay, courtesy a commendable effort from the ground staff which readied the ground following multiple spells of heavy rain.&nbsp;

Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli (25 off 7) was on fire from ball one, depositing pacer Varun Aaron for a straight six. The loyal fans of the hosts, who stayed back for hours in the hope of a game, managed to get their money's worth with Kohli smashing Aaron for another six before AB de Villiers (10 off 4) got into the act as the first over went for 23 runs.&nbsp;

However, Gopal brought Rajasthan right back into the game in the following over by removing Kohli and de Villiers off successive balls before sending back Marcus Stoinis for a memorable hat-trick.&nbsp;

With the following batsmen going for the big hits from the word go, Bangalore did manage to cross the 50-run mark.&nbsp;

Rajasthan pacer Oshane Thomas too made instant impact by taking two wickets in one over.&nbsp;

Rajasthan leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal took a memorable hat-trick in a five overs a side contest that was eventually called off due to intermittent rain, pushing Bangalore out of the IPL play-off race here on Tuesday.

Rajasthan leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal took a memorable hat-trick in a five overs a side contest that was eventually called off due to intermittent rain, pushing Bangalore out of the IPL play-off race here on Tuesday. Needing 22 off the final 10 balls, Royals were favourites to pocket two points but showers lashed Chinnaswamy again and both teams had to share a point each. The no result keeps Rajasthan mathematically alive in the tournament as they have 11 points from 13 games with one match to go. The visitors were 41 for one in 3.2 overs when the rain returned to the Chinnaswamy with Sanju Samson (28 off 13) being their top-scorer. Bangalore got a point from the called off game, taking them to nine points from 13 games, ending all their hopes of progressing in the tournament. Rajasthan limited RCB to 62 for seven in five overs following Gopal's hat-trick. Rajasthan had won the toss and opted to field but rain arrived and delayed the start of the game by three hours and thirty minutes. The game finally began after a long delay, courtesy a commendable effort from the ground staff which readied the ground following multiple spells of heavy rain. Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli (25 off 7) was on fire from ball one, depositing pacer Varun Aaron for a straight six. The loyal fans of the hosts, who stayed back for hours in the hope of a game, managed to get their money's worth with Kohli smashing Aaron for another six before AB de Villiers (10 off 4) got into the act as the first over went for 23 runs. However, Gopal brought Rajasthan right back into the game in the following over by removing Kohli and de Villiers off successive balls before sending back Marcus Stoinis for a memorable hat-trick. With the following batsmen going for the big hits from the word go, Bangalore did manage to cross the 50-run mark. Rajasthan pacer Oshane Thomas too made instant impact by taking two wickets in one over.

Shreyas Gopal takes 'dream' hat-trick in rain-hit tie as Bangalore knocked out of IPL 2019

Chennai thrashed Delhi by 80 runs in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

With this win, Chennai has moved on to the top of the league standings with 18 points whereas Delhi&nbsp;are placed at the second position with 16 points.

Chasing a challenging score of 180, Delhi got off to the worst start possible as they lost their opener Prithvi Shaw (4) in the very first over.&nbsp;He was dismissed by Deepak Chahar.

Shikhar Dhawan along with skipper Shreyas Iyer steadied the innings for Delhi and the duo stitched together a 48-run stand.

But Harbhajan Singh cut short Dhawan's (19) resistance as he clean bowled him in the fifth over.

The big-hitting Rishabh Pant (5) also failed to leave a mark as he was dismissed pretty early by Imran Tahir. Colin Ingram (1) also fell cheaply off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja reducing Delhi 66 for four.

Chennai kept scalping wickets and with Iyer`s (44) dismissal in the 12th over it was just a matter of time for Delhi and in the end, Chennai easily secured a win by 80 runs.

Earlier, knocks of 59 and 44* respectively by Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni enabled Chennai to post 179 runs on the board for the loss of four wickets in the allotted twenty overs.

Delhi bowlers maintained a tight grip initially, not allowing the batsmen to free their arms. Chennai was able to score just three runs in the opening three overs and the pressure finally got to Shane Watson (0) as he was dismissed by Jagadeesha Suchith.

The batsman was looking to score a boundary but he just managed to find the fielder at deep mid-wicket.

Raina and Faf du Plessis retrieved the innings for Chennai and they staged an 83-run partnership bringing the hosts back into the match. But their resistance was cut short as both du Plessis (39) and Raina (59) were dismissed in quick succession.

Faf was dismissed by Axar Patel whereas Raina was dismissed by Suchith.

Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja gave some firepower to the team in the death overs and stitched together a partnership of 43 runs of just 22 balls to take the team past the 140-run mark.

Jadeja (25) perished in the penultimate over but Dhoni kept on going on his merry way enabling the team to post a challenging total in front of the visitors. Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu remained unbeaten on 44 and 5 respectively.

Delhi&nbsp;will next play against Rajasthan on May 4 whereas Chennai will take on Punjab on May 5.

Chennai thrashed Delhi by 80 runs in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday. With this win, Chennai has moved on to the top of the league standings with 18 points whereas Delhi are placed at the second position with 16 points.

Chennai thrashed Delhi by 80 runs in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday. With this win, Chennai has moved on to the top of the league standings with 18 points whereas Delhi are placed at the second position with 16 points. Chasing a challenging score of 180, Delhi got off to the worst start possible as they lost their opener Prithvi Shaw (4) in the very first over. He was dismissed by Deepak Chahar. Shikhar Dhawan along with skipper Shreyas Iyer steadied the innings for Delhi and the duo stitched together a 48-run stand. But Harbhajan Singh cut short Dhawan's (19) resistance as he clean bowled him in the fifth over. The big-hitting Rishabh Pant (5) also failed to leave a mark as he was dismissed pretty early by Imran Tahir. Colin Ingram (1) also fell cheaply off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja reducing Delhi 66 for four. Chennai kept scalping wickets and with Iyer`s (44) dismissal in the 12th over it was just a matter of time for Delhi and in the end, Chennai easily secured a win by 80 runs. Earlier, knocks of 59 and 44* respectively by Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni enabled Chennai to post 179 runs on the board for the loss of four wickets in the allotted twenty overs. Delhi bowlers maintained a tight grip initially, not allowing the batsmen to free their arms. Chennai was able to score just three runs in the opening three overs and the pressure finally got to Shane Watson (0) as he was dismissed by Jagadeesha Suchith. The batsman was looking to score a boundary but he just managed to find the fielder at deep mid-wicket. Raina and Faf du Plessis retrieved the innings for Chennai and they staged an 83-run partnership bringing the hosts back into the match. But their resistance was cut short as both du Plessis (39) and Raina (59) were dismissed in quick succession. Faf was dismissed by Axar Patel whereas Raina was dismissed by Suchith. Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja gave some firepower to the team in the death overs and stitched together a partnership of 43 runs of just 22 balls to take the team past the 140-run mark. Jadeja (25) perished in the penultimate over but Dhoni kept on going on his merry way enabling the team to post a challenging total in front of the visitors. Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu remained unbeaten on 44 and 5 respectively. Delhi will next play against Rajasthan on May 4 whereas Chennai will take on Punjab on May 5.

IPL 2019: Chennai thrash Delhi by huge 80 runs

Andre Russell's wife Jassym Lora lashed out on the social media and gave a befitting reply to users who tried to troll and even body-shamed her. Being a model and an Instagram Fashion Lifestyle Influencer, Lora herself is very popular but in India, she created a fan base after her husband's outstanding performance in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League.

Andre Russell's wife Jassym Lora lashed out on the social media and gave a befitting reply to users who tried to troll and even body-shamed her. Being a model and an Instagram Fashion Lifestyle Influencer, Lora herself is very popular but in India, she created a fan base after her husband's outstanding performance in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League. Russell, so far, amassed 486 runs playing at a strike rate of 207.69 including 50 sixes and became a cricket sensation among Indian fans. Jassym replied to online trolls and said that such users should get punched in the mouth for disrespecting others. Also Read: Like being hailed as superhero, says Andre Russell On her Instagram account, where she has over 126 thousand followers, posted a photo with a note, saying, "Social Media has made too many of you comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the mouth for it." View this post on Instagram keyboard warrior.! A post shared by Jassym Lora Russell (@jassymloraru) on Apr 25, 2019 at 4:15am PDT × Lora married to the 30-year-old cricketer in 2016 and the couple often share adorable pictures on their Instagram account. Also Read: David Warner's wife writes emotional message for husband after he ends IPL 2019 campaign After Kolkata's win over Mumbai on Sunday, Russell in a special interview to his wife said that her presence comes as a massive boost for the Jamaican cricketer and she is his "lucky charm". A special interview of a special man by his special woman. A video which will make you go all Awww 💜💜💜@28anand brings @Russell12A & his wife @JAssymLOra11 in one frame after @KKRiders' win last night at the Eden Gardens. #KKRvMI Watch the full 📹 - https://t.co/hNRctwAiRs pic.twitter.com/NNxfP5w7tE — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 29, 2019 × View this post on Instagram Oh my sweet husband, I’m not just wishing for you to have a great birthday, I’m praying that you’re blessed with your heart’s desires.! Happy birthday Mi Amor! #happybirthdayhusband ❤️🎂 A post shared by Jassym Lora Russell (@jassymloraru) on Apr 28, 2019 at 7:47pm PDT × View this post on Instagram IPL 2019 #KKR #India #Dreruss A post shared by Jassym Lora Russell (@jassymloraru) on Apr 21, 2019 at 1:24am PDT × Andre Russell is currently playing for Kolkata team in the IPL 2019.

Cricketer Andre Russell's wife Jassym Lora lashes out at online trolls

David Warner signed off his IPL 2019 campaign in style, notching up his eight fifty of the season to help Hyderabad take a step closer towards qualifying for the play-offs with a comfortable 45-run win over Punjab here Monday. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Playing his last match of the season before heading home for World Cup preparations, Warner struck a belligerent 81 off 56 balls with seven fours and two sixes to complete his IPL 2019 campaign with 692 runs, the highest so far in the tournament.

Chasing the imposing total, K L Rahul (79 off 56, 4x4s, 5x6s) made a valiant effort with the bat but lacked support from the other end as Punjab were restricted to 167 for eight.

By virtue of this win, Hyderabad have consolidated their fourth position in the table with 12 points from 12 games, while Punjab are at 10 points from as many matches.

Both the teams have two more matches to go with Punjab still in the hunt.&nbsp;

Punjab needed a brisk start but they didn't get one, losing explosive Chris Gayle early.

Gayle departed in the first ball of the third over, brilliantly caught by Manish Pandey off Khaleel Ahmed (3/40) with Punjab scoreboard reading 11.

Thereafter, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal (27 off 18) added 60 off 39 balls to take Punjab forward.

But just when the partnership was looking threatening, Agarwal was holed by Vijay Shankar off Rashid Khan (3/21) in the ninth over.

New man in Nicholas Pooran (21 off 10) played a short breezy knock before Bhuvneshwar Kumar took a beautiful catch at long-leg boundary off Ahmed to sent packing the batsman.

Rashid then came to the party and picked up two wickets -- David Miller (11 off 11) and skipper Ravichandran Ashwin -- in consecutive balls in the 13th over to stand in chance of registering a hat-trick which didn't materialise.

From there on, the asking was tall for Rahul and debutant Prabhsimran Singh (16) and the former finally perished in the 19th over after a beautiful knock to shut the doors for Punjab. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Earlier, Warner and Wriddhiman Saha (28 off 13) got Hyderabad off to a brisk start after being sent into bat. The duo took the Punjab bowlers to the cleaners to pile up 77 runs of the first six overs of powerplay.

Warner made his intentions clear from the onset, hitting young Arshdeep Singh for two boundaries in the opening over and then followed it up with a six over long-off in Mujeeb Ur Rahman's next over.

Mujeeb was in for some treatment as Warner hit two more boundaries in the spinner's next over and then Saha also found the fence to bring up Hyderabad' fifty in the fourth over.

Saha then went after Mohammed Shami (2/36) and hit the pacer for a boundary and six off consecutive balls.

Saha's innings came to an end when he under-edged a Murugan Ashwin delivery to debutant Prabhsimran Singh behind the stumps. Saha shared 78 runs off 6.2 overs with Warner for the opening stand.

Warner continued in the same vein and notched up his eight fifty of the season with a boundary off Shami in the 12th over.

Then came in in-form Manish Pandey (36 off 25) and he too played a quick knock in Warner's company.

Pandey, who struck three fours and a six, added 82 off 55 balls along with Warner before Kings XI skipper Ravichandran Ashwin (2/20) struck twin blows in the 16th over to remove both the set batsmen.

First Ashwin accounted for Pandey and then two balls later dismissed Warner, caught by Mujeeb at point of what was a tired-looking shot. 
Then skipper Kane Williamson (14 off 7) and Mohammad Nabi (20 off 10) also played short cameos towards the end.

David Warner signed off his IPL 2019 campaign in style, notching up his eight fifty of the season to help Hyderabad take a step closer towards qualifying for the play-offs with a comfortable 45-run win over Punjab here Monday.

David Warner signed off his IPL 2019 campaign in style, notching up his eight fifty of the season to help Hyderabad take a step closer towards qualifying for the play-offs with a comfortable 45-run win over Punjab here Monday. Playing his last match of the season before heading home for World Cup preparations, Warner struck a belligerent 81 off 56 balls with seven fours and two sixes to complete his IPL 2019 campaign with 692 runs, the highest so far in the tournament. Chasing the imposing total, K L Rahul (79 off 56, 4x4s, 5x6s) made a valiant effort with the bat but lacked support from the other end as Punjab were restricted to 167 for eight. By virtue of this win, Hyderabad have consolidated their fourth position in the table with 12 points from 12 games, while Punjab are at 10 points from as many matches. Both the teams have two more matches to go with Punjab still in the hunt. Punjab needed a brisk start but they didn't get one, losing explosive Chris Gayle early. Gayle departed in the first ball of the third over, brilliantly caught by Manish Pandey off Khaleel Ahmed (3/40) with Punjab scoreboard reading 11. Thereafter, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal (27 off 18) added 60 off 39 balls to take Punjab forward. But just when the partnership was looking threatening, Agarwal was holed by Vijay Shankar off Rashid Khan (3/21) in the ninth over. New man in Nicholas Pooran (21 off 10) played a short breezy knock before Bhuvneshwar Kumar took a beautiful catch at long-leg boundary off Ahmed to sent packing the batsman. Rashid then came to the party and picked up two wickets -- David Miller (11 off 11) and skipper Ravichandran Ashwin -- in consecutive balls in the 13th over to stand in chance of registering a hat-trick which didn't materialise. From there on, the asking was tall for Rahul and debutant Prabhsimran Singh (16) and the former finally perished in the 19th over after a beautiful knock to shut the doors for Punjab. Earlier, Warner and Wriddhiman Saha (28 off 13) got Hyderabad off to a brisk start after being sent into bat. The duo took the Punjab bowlers to the cleaners to pile up 77 runs of the first six overs of powerplay. Warner made his intentions clear from the onset, hitting young Arshdeep Singh for two boundaries in the opening over and then followed it up with a six over long-off in Mujeeb Ur Rahman's next over. Mujeeb was in for some treatment as Warner hit two more boundaries in the spinner's next over and then Saha also found the fence to bring up Hyderabad' fifty in the fourth over. Saha then went after Mohammed Shami (2/36) and hit the pacer for a boundary and six off consecutive balls. Saha's innings came to an end when he under-edged a Murugan Ashwin delivery to debutant Prabhsimran Singh behind the stumps. Saha shared 78 runs off 6.2 overs with Warner for the opening stand. Warner continued in the same vein and notched up his eight fifty of the season with a boundary off Shami in the 12th over. Then came in in-form Manish Pandey (36 off 25) and he too played a quick knock in Warner's company. Pandey, who struck three fours and a six, added 82 off 55 balls along with Warner before Kings XI skipper Ravichandran Ashwin (2/20) struck twin blows in the 16th over to remove both the set batsmen. First Ashwin accounted for Pandey and then two balls later dismissed Warner, caught by Mujeeb at point of what was a tired-looking shot. Then skipper Kane Williamson (14 off 7) and Mohammad Nabi (20 off 10) also played short cameos towards the end.

IPL 2019: Brilliant David Warner hands Hyderabad 45-run win over Punjab

Under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, Delhi defeated Bangalore to top the points table and book themselves a play-off berth.

IPL 2019: Chennai, Delhi to face off in battle for the top position

David Warner signed off from the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League with a phenomenal performance with the bat as Hyderabad defeated Punjab by 45 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on Monday.

Warner, who opens for Hyderabad, scored 81 off 56 balls to take the side's total to mammoth 212 for 6 in their 20 overs against Punjab.

The hosts produced a clinical performance with the ball to restrict to 167 for 8 to consolidate their fourth on the points table.

It was Warner's last game as the batsman will now head back home to Australia to start his preparations for the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales which starts from May 30.

Warner's wife Candice, who stood by her husband through the tough times when he faced one-year ban for his alleged role in ball-tampering, wrote an emotional message on Twitter after her husband played yet another and last match-winning knock for Hyderabad this year.

"Outstanding finish to your ipl season @davidwarner31. The girls and I are forever proud of you. Your work ethic and your never give up attitude is inspirational. We love you," Candice wrote on Twitter.

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Outstanding finish to your ipl season <a href="https://twitter.com/davidwarner31?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@davidwarner31</a>. The girls and I are forever proud of you. Your work ethic and your never give up attitude is inspirational. We love you. 🧡🧡 <a href="https://twitter.com/SunRisersHYD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sunrisershyd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ipl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ipl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/orangearmy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#orangearmy</a> <a href="https://t.co/qnxkGXBwgk">pic.twitter.com/qnxkGXBwgk</a>
— Candice Warner (@CandyFalzon) <a href="https://twitter.com/CandyFalzon/status/1122896147175985152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Warner was given a standing ovation by Hyderabad fans as he left the field. &nbsp;

David Warner signed off from the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League with a phenomenal performance with the bat as Hyderabad defeated Punjab by 45 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on Monday.

David Warner signed off from the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League with a phenomenal performance with the bat as Hyderabad defeated Punjab by 45 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on Monday. Warner, who opens for Hyderabad, scored 81 off 56 balls to take the side's total to mammoth 212 for 6 in their 20 overs against Punjab. The hosts produced a clinical performance with the ball to restrict to 167 for 8 to consolidate their fourth on the points table. It was Warner's last game as the batsman will now head back home to Australia to start his preparations for the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales which starts from May 30. Warner's wife Candice, who stood by her husband through the tough times when he faced one-year ban for his alleged role in ball-tampering, wrote an emotional message on Twitter after her husband played yet another and last match-winning knock for Hyderabad this year. "Outstanding finish to your ipl season @davidwarner31. The girls and I are forever proud of you. Your work ethic and your never give up attitude is inspirational. We love you," Candice wrote on Twitter. Outstanding finish to your ipl season @davidwarner31. The girls and I are forever proud of you. Your work ethic and your never give up attitude is inspirational. We love you. 🧡🧡 @sunrisershyd #ipl #orangearmy pic.twitter.com/qnxkGXBwgk — Candice Warner (@CandyFalzon) April 29, 2019 × Warner was given a standing ovation by Hyderabad fans as he left the field.

David Warner's wife writes emotional message for husband after he ends IPL 2019 campaign

Punjab opener KL Rahul defended his strategy of playing slow initially while chasing a mammoth 213 against Hyderabad in the ongoing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League (IPL)</a>, saying one between him and Chris Gayle was supposed to go all out upfront while the other tried to take the game deep.

Chasing a huge total, Rahul (79 off 56; 4x4, 5x6) made a valiant effort with the bat but lacked support from the other end as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2019-brilliant-david-warner-hands-hyderabad-45-run-win-over-punjab-214615">Punjab were restricted to 167 for eight in their 20 overs.&nbsp;</a>

"That's been the team plan. One of me or Chris Gayle look to bat 15-16 overs as deep as possible so the others can play around," said Rahul at the post-match press conference.

"That doesn't mean that you don't play your shots. I tried my shots a few times, it didn't come off, few went for boundaries, few hit the fielders."

Rahul though finished with a strike-rate of 141.07 but at one stage he had just made 39 off 36 deliveries when the required rate was well above 15 runs per over.

The 27-year-old explained that he knew he could make up for it in the back end had he stayed on the crease in the middle overs.

"Not always as a batsman you will get off to an amazing start, you don't get a 20-ball 50 each time. Sometimes when you get off to a start like that you have got to make it count but sometimes when you are not finding your touch you have to hang in there. I know that if I am set I can make up for it," said Rahul.

He ruled that the lack of partnerships hampered his team.

"We couldn't get enough batting partnerships. We were batting well, unfortunate that each time we tried to take a chance we found a fielder."

Rahul also backed Mujeeb ur Rahman, who conceded 66 runs in his four overs, highest in this year's IPL.

"Obviously, anybody who goes for that many runs will be disappointed. Sometimes it is not your day. In T20 cricket that happens. Everyday one of the bowlers will get targeted and go for runs.

"He is a young guy, he has a lot of skill. This is the first time he has gone for so many runs. Before this he has done really really well for Kings XI and yeah one-off game this happens to every bowler. The best of bowlers will get hit for 50-60 runs, you just have to look to bounce back," said Rahul.

Punjab used only five bowlers despite going for runs and Rahul said that injuries to a lot of their key players prevented them from going for the sixth bowling option.

"It is not an excuse but there are a few injuries in the team which doesn't allow us to go with a sixth bowling option or play an all-rounder," Rahul clarified.

"When you are going in with five bowlers, all of them have to bowl four overs each. There is not really a choice. When you have gone with five full-time bowlers, you have to trust them. You expect them to deliver most times but some times it does not happen," he added.

Punjab opener KL Rahul defended his strategy of playing slow initially while chasing a mammoth 213 against Hyderabad in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), saying one between him and Chris Gayle was supposed to go all out upfront while the other tried to take the game deep.

Punjab opener KL Rahul defended his strategy of playing slow initially while chasing a mammoth 213 against Hyderabad in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), saying one between him and Chris Gayle was supposed to go all out upfront while the other tried to take the game deep. Chasing a huge total, Rahul (79 off 56; 4x4, 5x6) made a valiant effort with the bat but lacked support from the other end as Punjab were restricted to 167 for eight in their 20 overs. "That's been the team plan. One of me or Chris Gayle look to bat 15-16 overs as deep as possible so the others can play around," said Rahul at the post-match press conference. "That doesn't mean that you don't play your shots. I tried my shots a few times, it didn't come off, few went for boundaries, few hit the fielders." Rahul though finished with a strike-rate of 141.07 but at one stage he had just made 39 off 36 deliveries when the required rate was well above 15 runs per over. The 27-year-old explained that he knew he could make up for it in the back end had he stayed on the crease in the middle overs. "Not always as a batsman you will get off to an amazing start, you don't get a 20-ball 50 each time. Sometimes when you get off to a start like that you have got to make it count but sometimes when you are not finding your touch you have to hang in there. I know that if I am set I can make up for it," said Rahul. He ruled that the lack of partnerships hampered his team. "We couldn't get enough batting partnerships. We were batting well, unfortunate that each time we tried to take a chance we found a fielder." Rahul also backed Mujeeb ur Rahman, who conceded 66 runs in his four overs, highest in this year's IPL. "Obviously, anybody who goes for that many runs will be disappointed. Sometimes it is not your day. In T20 cricket that happens. Everyday one of the bowlers will get targeted and go for runs. "He is a young guy, he has a lot of skill. This is the first time he has gone for so many runs. Before this he has done really really well for Kings XI and yeah one-off game this happens to every bowler. The best of bowlers will get hit for 50-60 runs, you just have to look to bounce back," said Rahul. Punjab used only five bowlers despite going for runs and Rahul said that injuries to a lot of their key players prevented them from going for the sixth bowling option. "It is not an excuse but there are a few injuries in the team which doesn't allow us to go with a sixth bowling option or play an all-rounder," Rahul clarified. "When you are going in with five bowlers, all of them have to bowl four overs each. There is not really a choice. When you have gone with five full-time bowlers, you have to trust them. You expect them to deliver most times but some times it does not happen," he added.

IPL 2019: Punjab's KL Rahul defends playing slow initially against Hyderabad

Mumbai's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya smashed the fastest fifty of the ongoing edition if Indian Premier League while playing against Kolkata at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.&nbsp;

Hardik Pandya scored 91 runs off 34 balls playing at a strike rate of 267.65 and his splendid innings included six 4s and nine 6s.&nbsp;

Previously, the record was held by Delhi's wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who smashed fifty off 18 balls against Mumbai team on March 24.&nbsp;

Hardik has so far completed 62 half-centuries in his IPL career.&nbsp;

During the post-match presentation, Hardik said, "I am just holding my shape pretty well and the confidence makes a huge difference."

"My plan was to get close to the total so that the run rate doesn't get effected," he added.&nbsp;

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FIFTY comes up for <a href="https://twitter.com/hardikpandya7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hardikpandya7</a>. This is his fastest half-century in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a> <a href="https://t.co/usrYW2CMwq">pic.twitter.com/usrYW2CMwq</a>
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In the match,&nbsp;Kolkata snapped their six-match losing streak with a 34-run win over Mumbai in a high-scoring game that saw brutal stroke play from power-hitters of both teams. &nbsp;

Kolkata batsmen fired on all cylinders to post the season's highest total, 232 for two, after sensational knocks from Shubman Gill (75 off 45) and Andre Russell (80 not out off 40). &nbsp;

At 58 for four, Mumbai were down and out but&nbsp;Hardik Pandya&nbsp;reignited their hopes with a breathtaking 91 off 34 balls. In the end, Pandya's dismissal in the 18th over sealed the game in Kolkata's favour as Mumbai ended at 198 for seven. The Indian all-rounder's cracking innings comprised nine sixes and six fours. &nbsp;

The much-needed win keeps Kolkata alive in the tournament as they now have 10 points from 12 matches. Mumbai remain in the third spot with 14 points from 12 games. &nbsp;

Mumbai's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya smashed the fastest fifty of the ongoing edition if Indian Premier League while playing against Kolkata at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.

Mumbai's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya smashed the fastest fifty of the ongoing edition if Indian Premier League while playing against Kolkata at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. Hardik Pandya scored 91 runs off 34 balls playing at a strike rate of 267.65 and his splendid innings included six 4s and nine 6s. Previously, the record was held by Delhi's wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who smashed fifty off 18 balls against Mumbai team on March 24. Hardik has so far completed 62 half-centuries in his IPL career. During the post-match presentation, Hardik said, "I am just holding my shape pretty well and the confidence makes a huge difference." "My plan was to get close to the total so that the run rate doesn't get effected," he added. FIFTY comes up for @hardikpandya7. This is his fastest half-century in #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/usrYW2CMwq — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 28, 2019 × In the match, Kolkata snapped their six-match losing streak with a 34-run win over Mumbai in a high-scoring game that saw brutal stroke play from power-hitters of both teams. Kolkata batsmen fired on all cylinders to post the season's highest total, 232 for two, after sensational knocks from Shubman Gill (75 off 45) and Andre Russell (80 not out off 40). At 58 for four, Mumbai were down and out but Hardik Pandya reignited their hopes with a breathtaking 91 off 34 balls. In the end, Pandya's dismissal in the 18th over sealed the game in Kolkata's favour as Mumbai ended at 198 for seven. The Indian all-rounder's cracking innings comprised nine sixes and six fours. The much-needed win keeps Kolkata alive in the tournament as they now have 10 points from 12 matches. Mumbai remain in the third spot with 14 points from 12 games.

Hardik Pandya smashes fastest fifty of IPL 2019

Kolkata snapped their six-match losing streak with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-ipl-2019-match-47-kolkata-vs-mumbai-at-eden-gardens-214169">a 34-run win over Mumbai</a> in a high-scoring Indian Premier League game that saw brutal stroke play from power-hitters of both teams. &nbsp;

Kolkata batsmen fired on all cylinders to post the season's highest total, 232 for two, after sensational knocks from Shubman Gill (75 off 45) and Andre Russell (80 not out off 40).&nbsp;

At 58 for four, Mumbai were down and out but <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/hardik-pandya-smashes-fastest-fifty-of-ipl-2019-214239">Hardik Pandya</a> reignited their hopes with a breathtaking 91 off 34 balls. In the end, Pandya's dismissal in the 18th over sealed the game in Kolkata's favour as Mumbai ended at 198 for seven. The Indian all-rounder's cracking innings comprised nine sixes and six fours. &nbsp;

The much-needed win keeps Kolkata alive in the tournament as they now have 10 points from 12 matches. Mumbai remain in third spot with 14 points from 12 games. &nbsp;

Staring at elimination, the embattled Kolkata got off to a fiery start with Shubman Gill (76) and Chris Lynn (54) putting on a 96-run opening stand, their highest this season, after Rohit Sharma opted to bowl in his 100th match as captain.&nbsp;

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Two <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Playoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Playoffs</a> spots still up for grabs. Who do you reckon will make it?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a> <a href="https://t.co/vGcHYOfq43">pic.twitter.com/vGcHYOfq43</a>
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Russell, Kolkata's biggest impact player of the season, was finally seen higher up the order at No 3. The West Indies power-hitter ensured that Kolkata finished on a high with an unbeaten effort.&nbsp;

Russell hammered six fours and eight sixes including one off the last ball after he denied a couple of singles to skipper Dinesh Karthik in the last over as Kolkata creamed 75 runs from the last five overs and scored 135 in the final 10.&nbsp;

Fielding let down Mumbai big time with both Lynn and Russell dropped early in their innings by Kieron Pollard and Evin Lewis respectively.&nbsp;

The top-order batting was all about the sheer class of the 19-year-old Gill, who showed why he is billed as the future star of Indian cricket.&nbsp;

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The <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKRiders</a> win by 34 runs and register their 100th Victory in IPL 👌👌 <a href="https://t.co/zAl5lMBW8O">pic.twitter.com/zAl5lMBW8O</a>
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Gill smashed six fours and four sixes en route to his second half-century of the season and forged a crucial stand with Russell. The duo shared 62 runs from 35 balls of which Gill had a share of 34, while Russell scored 24.&nbsp;

Gill was at his best against Rahul Chahar and three of his four sixes came against the leg-spinner.&nbsp;

Such was the sheer class of Gill that Russell was glad to play second fiddle and was six off 12 balls after being dropped on one. &nbsp;

On a belter of a track, Kolkata openers got off to a sensational start and survived the powerplay without losing a wicket for their highest opening stand -- 96 -- this season.&nbsp;

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DRE RUSS is adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant 80* and bowling figures of 2/25 👏👏 <a href="https://t.co/rY5uWxvWDa">pic.twitter.com/rY5uWxvWDa</a>
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Slow to start with, Lynn was 18 off 15 balls when Kieron Pollard spilled a chance from the Aussie at mid-off.&nbsp;

Lynn took off from there on, hammering the spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Chahar to race to his fourth IPL fifty this season off just 27 balls.

Kolkata snapped their six-match losing streak with a 34-run win over Mumbai in a high-scoring Indian Premier League game that saw brutal stroke play from power-hitters of both teams.

Kolkata snapped their six-match losing streak with a 34-run win over Mumbai in a high-scoring Indian Premier League game that saw brutal stroke play from power-hitters of both teams. Kolkata batsmen fired on all cylinders to post the season's highest total, 232 for two, after sensational knocks from Shubman Gill (75 off 45) and Andre Russell (80 not out off 40). At 58 for four, Mumbai were down and out but Hardik Pandya reignited their hopes with a breathtaking 91 off 34 balls. In the end, Pandya's dismissal in the 18th over sealed the game in Kolkata's favour as Mumbai ended at 198 for seven. The Indian all-rounder's cracking innings comprised nine sixes and six fours. The much-needed win keeps Kolkata alive in the tournament as they now have 10 points from 12 matches. Mumbai remain in third spot with 14 points from 12 games. Staring at elimination, the embattled Kolkata got off to a fiery start with Shubman Gill (76) and Chris Lynn (54) putting on a 96-run opening stand, their highest this season, after Rohit Sharma opted to bowl in his 100th match as captain. Two #Playoffs spots still up for grabs. Who do you reckon will make it?#VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/vGcHYOfq43 — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 28, 2019 × Russell, Kolkata's biggest impact player of the season, was finally seen higher up the order at No 3. The West Indies power-hitter ensured that Kolkata finished on a high with an unbeaten effort. Russell hammered six fours and eight sixes including one off the last ball after he denied a couple of singles to skipper Dinesh Karthik in the last over as Kolkata creamed 75 runs from the last five overs and scored 135 in the final 10. Fielding let down Mumbai big time with both Lynn and Russell dropped early in their innings by Kieron Pollard and Evin Lewis respectively. The top-order batting was all about the sheer class of the 19-year-old Gill, who showed why he is billed as the future star of Indian cricket. The @KKRiders win by 34 runs and register their 100th Victory in IPL 👌👌 pic.twitter.com/zAl5lMBW8O — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 28, 2019 × Gill smashed six fours and four sixes en route to his second half-century of the season and forged a crucial stand with Russell. The duo shared 62 runs from 35 balls of which Gill had a share of 34, while Russell scored 24. Gill was at his best against Rahul Chahar and three of his four sixes came against the leg-spinner. Such was the sheer class of Gill that Russell was glad to play second fiddle and was six off 12 balls after being dropped on one. On a belter of a track, Kolkata openers got off to a sensational start and survived the powerplay without losing a wicket for their highest opening stand -- 96 -- this season. DRE RUSS is adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant 80* and bowling figures of 2/25 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/rY5uWxvWDa — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 28, 2019 × Slow to start with, Lynn was 18 off 15 balls when Kieron Pollard spilled a chance from the Aussie at mid-off. Lynn took off from there on, hammering the spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Chahar to race to his fourth IPL fifty this season off just 27 balls.

IPL 2019: Andre Russell shines as Kolkata beat Mumbai by 34 runs

The Steve Smith-led side have a theoretical chance to make it to the playoffs, provided they do not lose any of their remaining two matches.

IPL 2019: Rejuvenated Rajasthan to lock horns with bottom-placed Bangalore

Rohit Sharma, the skipper Mumbai team was fined 15 per cent of his match fees for breaching the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League's</a> (IPL) code of conduct during his <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2019-andre-russell-shines-as-kolkata-beat-mumbai-by-34-runs-214242">team's 34-run defeat to Kolkata</a> at the Eden Garden stadium.&nbsp;

Rohit Sharma hit the stumps with his bat following his dismissal in a highly charged contest against Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata on Sunday.&nbsp;

The India batsman smashed three boundaries before being adjudged lbw in Mumbai's mammoth chase of 233 and vented his frustration on the stumps at the non-striker's end.&nbsp;

Sharma admitted to the Level 1 offence 2.2 of the IPL's Code of Conduct and accepted the sanction.&nbsp;

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Rohit demonstrating his test career to the umpire. <a href="https://t.co/2MhBo1RFJO">pic.twitter.com/2MhBo1RFJO</a>
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Sharma, who has led Mumbai to three IPL titles, believed he had edged the incoming delivery from paceman Harry Gurney and reviewed the umpire's call.&nbsp;

But the 'snickometer' technology, which analyses noise, suggested the ball missed the bat and the decision was upheld, with a dejected Sharma having words with the umpire as well as hitting the stumps.&nbsp;

Rohit Sharma, the skipper Mumbai team was fined 15 per cent of his match fees for breaching the Indian Premier League's (IPL) code of conduct during his team's 34-run defeat to Kolkata at the Eden Garden stadium.

Rohit Sharma, the skipper Mumbai team was fined 15 per cent of his match fees for breaching the Indian Premier League's (IPL) code of conduct during his team's 34-run defeat to Kolkata at the Eden Garden stadium. Rohit Sharma hit the stumps with his bat following his dismissal in a highly charged contest against Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata on Sunday. The India batsman smashed three boundaries before being adjudged lbw in Mumbai's mammoth chase of 233 and vented his frustration on the stumps at the non-striker's end. Sharma admitted to the Level 1 offence 2.2 of the IPL's Code of Conduct and accepted the sanction. Rohit demonstrating his test career to the umpire. pic.twitter.com/2MhBo1RFJO — vinodh (@vinodh_mvk) April 28, 2019 × Sharma, who has led Mumbai to three IPL titles, believed he had edged the incoming delivery from paceman Harry Gurney and reviewed the umpire's call. But the 'snickometer' technology, which analyses noise, suggested the ball missed the bat and the decision was upheld, with a dejected Sharma having words with the umpire as well as hitting the stumps.

IPL 2019: Rohit Sharma fined 15 per cent match fees for code of conduct breach

Andre Russell, aka 'Dre Russ', said that he like being hailed as a superhero by the fans. Russell has been magnificent in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League, amassing 486 runs playing at a strike rate of 207.69, what makes his form extraordinary is the number of sixes he hit, which is 50.&nbsp;

He became only the second player to hit 50 sixes in an IPL season, matching the achievement of compatriot Chris Gayle.&nbsp;

Gayle smashed 59 sixes in the 2012 season before hitting 51 the following year while playing for Bangalore and Russell listed the attributes that have left him with a chance of bettering those figures.&nbsp;

With his match-winning and entertaining knocks, Russell has become a cricket sensation among Indian fans and Twitter users have compared him with several Bollywood's reel icons, like 'Baahubali'.&nbsp;

Russell was even hailed as one of the Avengers superheroes.&nbsp;

After <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2019-andre-russell-shines-as-kolkata-beat-mumbai-by-34-runs-214242">Kolkata's win over Mumbai</a> on Sunday, "Yes, I am a fan of (Avengers), I am watching it for a while," he said at the post-match presentation ceremony. &nbsp;

"If the fans say that I am a (superhero) I am happy."&nbsp;

"Eye and hand coordination. Balance and then good bat speed as well. I generate a lot power from the shoulders and then the core. So everything goes together," man-of-the-match Russell said.&nbsp;

"As an all-rounder, you have to make sure your body is fit and strong. To play awkward shots in those moments when a bowler tries to outsmart you with a wide slower ball... to hit the ball over covers cleanly."&nbsp;

Russell made 80 off 40 balls, hitting eight sixes and six fours at the iconic Eden Gardens, and no matter what the MI bowlers tried, they failed.&nbsp;

The win snapped a six-match losing streak for the three-time former champions in the ongoing edition.&nbsp;

Andre Russell, aka 'Dre Russ', said that he like being hailed as a superhero by the fans. Russell has been magnificent in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League, amassing 486 runs playing at a strike rate of 207.

Andre Russell, aka 'Dre Russ', said that he like being hailed as a superhero by the fans. Russell has been magnificent in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League, amassing 486 runs playing at a strike rate of 207.69, what makes his form extraordinary is the number of sixes he hit, which is 50. He became only the second player to hit 50 sixes in an IPL season, matching the achievement of compatriot Chris Gayle. Gayle smashed 59 sixes in the 2012 season before hitting 51 the following year while playing for Bangalore and Russell listed the attributes that have left him with a chance of bettering those figures. With his match-winning and entertaining knocks, Russell has become a cricket sensation among Indian fans and Twitter users have compared him with several Bollywood's reel icons, like 'Baahubali'. Russell was even hailed as one of the Avengers superheroes. After Kolkata's win over Mumbai on Sunday, "Yes, I am a fan of (Avengers), I am watching it for a while," he said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "If the fans say that I am a (superhero) I am happy." "Eye and hand coordination. Balance and then good bat speed as well. I generate a lot power from the shoulders and then the core. So everything goes together," man-of-the-match Russell said. "As an all-rounder, you have to make sure your body is fit and strong. To play awkward shots in those moments when a bowler tries to outsmart you with a wide slower ball... to hit the ball over covers cleanly." Russell made 80 off 40 balls, hitting eight sixes and six fours at the iconic Eden Gardens, and no matter what the MI bowlers tried, they failed. The win snapped a six-match losing streak for the three-time former champions in the ongoing edition.

Like being hailed as superhero, says Andre Russell

David Warner will be aiming to finish his splendid campaign on a high even as Hyderabad set to face Punjab at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

IPL 2019: Eying playoff berth, Hyderabad to take on Punjab

Rajasthan skipper Steve Smith wants to end his Indian Premier League 2019 campaign on a winning note against&nbsp;Bangalore on April 30 before leaving for home ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2019-rajasthan-beat-hyderabad-by-7-wickets-to-keep-playoff-hopes-alive-214016">Rajasthan Saturday defeated Hyderabad by seven wickets</a> to end their home campaign on a winning note and theoretically keep alive their playoff chances in the ongoing IPL.&nbsp;

To stay in contention for a playoff berth, Rajasthan first must win their remaining two away games against Bangalore and Delhi&nbsp;on May 4 and then hope for favourable results from other matches.&nbsp;

"For us it's just about going on winning and then we'll see what happens. I've got one more match in Bangalore, so it'll be nice to finish off on a winning note, and hopefully the boys can win in Delhi too," Smith said at the post-match presentation ceremony.&nbsp;

"But it was a good end to our home season. The boys pulled it back nicely in the middle overs. We used the change of pace well. We were able to restrict them to 160 which I thought was about par."

Smith praised Liam Livingstone (44) and Sanju Samson (48 not out) for their efforts with the bat, but lamented his side's inability to win a close game at the initial end of the tournament.&nbsp;

"Liam Livingstone opening for the first time in IPL hit the ball cleanly and Sanju finished it off well. We're playing together as a group and won those key moments.&nbsp; &nbsp;

"At the start we weren't doing it. We've had a lot of close games and fortunately last few we've been able to get over the line," he said. 
Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson said Rajasthan outplayed them despite putting up a competitive total on the board.&nbsp;

"Potentially a competitive total. But they did it a little bit better than we did. They kept wickets in hand and we weren't able to get the breakthroughs we usually get," he said.&nbsp;

"Manish Pandey is playing with some nice freedom. Couple of great performances. A little bit disappointing today, but very fine lines in this game."&nbsp;

Rajasthan skipper Steve Smith wants to end his Indian Premier League 2019 campaign on a winning note against Bangalore on April 30 before leaving for home ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup.

Rajasthan skipper Steve Smith wants to end his Indian Premier League 2019 campaign on a winning note against Bangalore on April 30 before leaving for home ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup. Rajasthan Saturday defeated Hyderabad by seven wickets to end their home campaign on a winning note and theoretically keep alive their playoff chances in the ongoing IPL. To stay in contention for a playoff berth, Rajasthan first must win their remaining two away games against Bangalore and Delhi on May 4 and then hope for favourable results from other matches. "For us it's just about going on winning and then we'll see what happens. I've got one more match in Bangalore, so it'll be nice to finish off on a winning note, and hopefully the boys can win in Delhi too," Smith said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "But it was a good end to our home season. The boys pulled it back nicely in the middle overs. We used the change of pace well. We were able to restrict them to 160 which I thought was about par." Smith praised Liam Livingstone (44) and Sanju Samson (48 not out) for their efforts with the bat, but lamented his side's inability to win a close game at the initial end of the tournament. "Liam Livingstone opening for the first time in IPL hit the ball cleanly and Sanju finished it off well. We're playing together as a group and won those key moments. "At the start we weren't doing it. We've had a lot of close games and fortunately last few we've been able to get over the line," he said. Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson said Rajasthan outplayed them despite putting up a competitive total on the board. "Potentially a competitive total. But they did it a little bit better than we did. They kept wickets in hand and we weren't able to get the breakthroughs we usually get," he said. "Manish Pandey is playing with some nice freedom. Couple of great performances. A little bit disappointing today, but very fine lines in this game."

Steve Smith wants to draw curtains on his IPL 2019 campaign on winning note

The timings of the&nbsp;playoffs of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premeir League&nbsp;2019</a>, which is&nbsp;beginning May 7 are&nbsp;likely to be preponed by 30 minutes.&nbsp;

In the previous edition of IPL, the playoffs had a 7 pm start.&nbsp;

The timings have been changed to&nbsp;ensure that matches don't stretch past midnight, as seen in a few games this season.&nbsp;

"We have spoken to the broadcasters and most likely, the playoffs will have a 7.30 PM start instead of 8 PM," a BCCI official told PTI after a COA meeting here on Saturday.&nbsp;

Games going beyond midnight has attracted criticism from fans while experts like former England captain Michael Vaughan have slammed over rate of teams in the competition.&nbsp;

Four captains including Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli have been fined Rs 12 lakh each for maintaining a slow over rate.&nbsp;

Qualifier 1 of IPL 2019 will be played in Chennai on May 7, Eliminator and Qualifier 2 in Vizag on May 8 and 10 while the final will be held in Hyderabad on May 12.&nbsp;

The timings of the playoffs of Indian Premeir League 2019, which is beginning May 7 are likely to be preponed by 30 minutes. In the previous edition of IPL, the playoffs had a 7 pm start.

The timings of the playoffs of Indian Premeir League 2019, which is beginning May 7 are likely to be preponed by 30 minutes. In the previous edition of IPL, the playoffs had a 7 pm start. The timings have been changed to ensure that matches don't stretch past midnight, as seen in a few games this season. "We have spoken to the broadcasters and most likely, the playoffs will have a 7.30 PM start instead of 8 PM," a BCCI official told PTI after a COA meeting here on Saturday. Games going beyond midnight has attracted criticism from fans while experts like former England captain Michael Vaughan have slammed over rate of teams in the competition. Four captains including Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli have been fined Rs 12 lakh each for maintaining a slow over rate. Qualifier 1 of IPL 2019 will be played in Chennai on May 7, Eliminator and Qualifier 2 in Vizag on May 8 and 10 while the final will be held in Hyderabad on May 12.

IPL playoffs likely to have 7.30 pm start

Rajasthan <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-ipl-2019-match-45-rajasthan-vs-hyderabad-at-sawai-mansingh-stadium-213944">defeated Hyderabad by seven wickets</a> to end their home campaign on a winning note and theoretically keep alive their playoff chances in the ongoing Indian Premier League on Saturday.&nbsp;

Opting to bowl in a must-win match, Rajasthan first restricted Hyderabad to 160 for eight and then chased down the target in 19.1 overs.&nbsp;

By virtue of this win, Rajasthan have now moved to the sixth position in the eight-team standings with 10 points from 12 games. &nbsp;

But to stay in contention for a playoff berth, Rajasthan first must win their remaining two away games against Bangalore on April 30 and Delhi on May 4 and then hope for favourable results from other matches.&nbsp;

Despite the loss, Hyderabad have just managed to hold to their fourth place in the table with 10 points from 11 games. &nbsp;

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That's that from Jaipur as the <a href="https://twitter.com/rajasthanroyals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rajasthanroyals</a> register a victory by 7 wickets with 5 deliveries to spare.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RRvSRH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RRvSRH</a> <a href="https://t.co/uL7TPNrd4K">pic.twitter.com/uL7TPNrd4K</a>
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Chasing 161, Liam Livingstone (44 off 26) and Ajinkya Rahane (39 off 34) got Rajasthan off to a flying start with the former taking the attack to the opposition. &nbsp;

The duo raced off to 78 off 55 balls for the opening wicket, picking up 60 runs off the first six powerplay overs before Livingstone perished.&nbsp;

Livingstone was in a murderous mood as he didn't spare single Rajasthan bowler and struck four boundaries and three sixes during his explosive knock before departing in the 10th over, edging one to Wriddhiman Saha behind the stumps off Rashid Khan's (1/30) bowling.&nbsp;

An over later Rajasthan suffered yet another blow in the form of Rahane, caught by David Warner at long-off off Shakib Al Hasan (1/26).&nbsp;

Then Sanju Samson (48 not out off 32) and skipper Steve Smith (22) held fort and shared 55 runs in 5.3 overs to take Rajasthan within sniffing distance of win before the latter departed.&nbsp;

But by that time the damage had already been done for Hyderabad as Samson and Ashton Turner completed the formalities with ease. &nbsp;

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Jaydev Unadkat is adjudged the Man of the Match for his outstanding effort on the field and bowling figures of 2/26 👌👏 <a href="https://t.co/ZhrDrzbF9v">pic.twitter.com/ZhrDrzbF9v</a>
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Earlier, Manish Pandey hit a quick half-century before Hyderabad witnessed a middle-order collapse to be restricted to 160 for eight. &nbsp;

Sent into bat, Hyderabad got off to a good start even after the early dismissal of skipper Kane Williamson (13) with Warner and Manish Pandey sharing 75 runs off just 50 balls for the second wicket before losing the plot after the halfway stage.&nbsp;

Nicely placed 103 for one after 12 overs, Hyderabad lost their next seven wickets for just 44 runs before Rashid (17 not out off 8) played a short cameo towards the end to take the visitors to the 160-run mark.&nbsp;

Hyderabad lost Williamson early, cleaned up by Shreyas Gopal (2/30) with a googly in the fourth over. &nbsp;

Warner and Pandey then joined hands and played aggressively to stabilise the Hyderabad innings.&nbsp;

While Pandey was the aggressor of the two, Warner played the second fiddle.&nbsp;

Pandey reached his fifty in 27 balls with the help of eight fours but just when the partnership was looking threatening, a brilliant catch by Smith sent Warner packing. &nbsp;

Warner backed away a long way and tried to slap an Oshane Thomas (2/28) short delivery over extra cover but didn't time the shot perfectly and Smith ran back and dived full length to his right to hold on to a beautiful catch.&nbsp;

Warner's innings was a struggle as he scored 37 off 32 balls but failed to hit a single boundary.&nbsp;

Pandey continued his aggressive instinct and lofted Gopal over extra cover for an exquisite boundary. But the leg-spinner hand the last laugh as he dismissed Pandey in the very next ball, brilliantly caught by Samson as Hyderabad slumped to 121 for three after 15 overs.&nbsp;

Pandey made a fine 61 off 36 balls with the help of nine boundaries. 
Vijay Shankar (8) too perished cheaply, caught by Jaydev Unadkat off Varun Aaron (2/36) in the next over as the batsman went for a big shot. &nbsp;

Wickets kept on tumbling for Hyderabad after a fine first wicket stand between Warner and Pandey. The next to depart was Deepak Hooda for a duck caught one-handed off his own bowling by Unadkat (2/26) in the next over.&nbsp;

But Rashid took the onus on himself and garnered 18 runs off Aaron's final over to take Hyderabad to a respectable total.

Rajasthan defeated Hyderabad by seven wickets to end their home campaign on a winning note and theoretically keep alive their playoff chances in the ongoing Indian Premier League on Saturday.

Rajasthan defeated Hyderabad by seven wickets to end their home campaign on a winning note and theoretically keep alive their playoff chances in the ongoing Indian Premier League on Saturday. Opting to bowl in a must-win match, Rajasthan first restricted Hyderabad to 160 for eight and then chased down the target in 19.1 overs. By virtue of this win, Rajasthan have now moved to the sixth position in the eight-team standings with 10 points from 12 games. But to stay in contention for a playoff berth, Rajasthan first must win their remaining two away games against Bangalore on April 30 and Delhi on May 4 and then hope for favourable results from other matches. Despite the loss, Hyderabad have just managed to hold to their fourth place in the table with 10 points from 11 games. That's that from Jaipur as the @rajasthanroyals register a victory by 7 wickets with 5 deliveries to spare.#RRvSRH pic.twitter.com/uL7TPNrd4K — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 27, 2019 × Chasing 161, Liam Livingstone (44 off 26) and Ajinkya Rahane (39 off 34) got Rajasthan off to a flying start with the former taking the attack to the opposition. The duo raced off to 78 off 55 balls for the opening wicket, picking up 60 runs off the first six powerplay overs before Livingstone perished. Livingstone was in a murderous mood as he didn't spare single Rajasthan bowler and struck four boundaries and three sixes during his explosive knock before departing in the 10th over, edging one to Wriddhiman Saha behind the stumps off Rashid Khan's (1/30) bowling. An over later Rajasthan suffered yet another blow in the form of Rahane, caught by David Warner at long-off off Shakib Al Hasan (1/26). Then Sanju Samson (48 not out off 32) and skipper Steve Smith (22) held fort and shared 55 runs in 5.3 overs to take Rajasthan within sniffing distance of win before the latter departed. But by that time the damage had already been done for Hyderabad as Samson and Ashton Turner completed the formalities with ease. Jaydev Unadkat is adjudged the Man of the Match for his outstanding effort on the field and bowling figures of 2/26 👌👏 pic.twitter.com/ZhrDrzbF9v — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 27, 2019 × Earlier, Manish Pandey hit a quick half-century before Hyderabad witnessed a middle-order collapse to be restricted to 160 for eight. Sent into bat, Hyderabad got off to a good start even after the early dismissal of skipper Kane Williamson (13) with Warner and Manish Pandey sharing 75 runs off just 50 balls for the second wicket before losing the plot after the halfway stage. Nicely placed 103 for one after 12 overs, Hyderabad lost their next seven wickets for just 44 runs before Rashid (17 not out off 8) played a short cameo towards the end to take the visitors to the 160-run mark. Hyderabad lost Williamson early, cleaned up by Shreyas Gopal (2/30) with a googly in the fourth over. Warner and Pandey then joined hands and played aggressively to stabilise the Hyderabad innings. While Pandey was the aggressor of the two, Warner played the second fiddle. Pandey reached his fifty in 27 balls with the help of eight fours but just when the partnership was looking threatening, a brilliant catch by Smith sent Warner packing. Warner backed away a long way and tried to slap an Oshane Thomas (2/28) short delivery over extra cover but didn't time the shot perfectly and Smith ran back and dived full length to his right to hold on to a beautiful catch. Warner's innings was a struggle as he scored 37 off 32 balls but failed to hit a single boundary. Pandey continued his aggressive instinct and lofted Gopal over extra cover for an exquisite boundary. But the leg-spinner hand the last laugh as he dismissed Pandey in the very next ball, brilliantly caught by Samson as Hyderabad slumped to 121 for three after 15 overs. Pandey made a fine 61 off 36 balls with the help of nine boundaries. Vijay Shankar (8) too perished cheaply, caught by Jaydev Unadkat off Varun Aaron (2/36) in the next over as the batsman went for a big shot. Wickets kept on tumbling for Hyderabad after a fine first wicket stand between Warner and Pandey. The next to depart was Deepak Hooda for a duck caught one-handed off his own bowling by Unadkat (2/26) in the next over. But Rashid took the onus on himself and garnered 18 runs off Aaron's final over to take Hyderabad to a respectable total.

IPL 2019: Rajasthan beat Hyderabad by 7 wickets to keep playoff hopes alive

Delhi made their way to the playoffs for the first time since 2012 as they <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-ipl-2019-match-46-delhi-vs-bangalore-at-feroz-shah-kotla-214092">defeated Bangalore by 16 runs</a> in the ongoing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League</a> (IPL) on Sunday.&nbsp;

Chasing a total of 188 runs, Bangalore's openers, Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli, gave their side a brilliant start. Both formed a 63-run partnership before Kagiso Rabada got hold of Patel (39).&nbsp;

AB de Villiers then joined Skipper Kolhi. However, their partnership did not last long as Kohli became a victim of Axar Patel.&nbsp;

Shivam Dube then formed a 35-run partnership with De Villiers before the latter got out on 17 runs. Heinrich Klaasen then joined Dube. However, Amit Mishra sent both the batsmen back to the pavilion in the 13th over.&nbsp;

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The <a href="https://twitter.com/DelhiCapitals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DelhiCapitals</a> have now claimed the top spot in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a> Points Table. Will the <a href="https://twitter.com/mipaltan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mipaltan</a> join <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSK?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSK</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DC</a> for the playoffs tonight? <a href="https://t.co/o6yH32XHCI">pic.twitter.com/o6yH32XHCI</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1122503830099251201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The rest of the batsmen struggled a bit to form a good partnership as they kept on losing wickets. However, Marcus Stoinis and Gurkeerat Singh formed a 49-run partnership which helped their side get closer to the target.&nbsp;

Singh scored 27 runs before he gave away his wicket which brought Washington Sundar to bat but Sundar too was sent back in the very next over.&nbsp;

Stoinis played a scintillating knock of 32 runs off 24 deliveries but it was not enough to take his side over the line as they lost the match by 16 runs.&nbsp;

Earlier, Delhi got off to a steady start as both the openers, Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan, struck regular boundaries. However, Shaw gave away his wicket in the fourth over after scoring 18 runs.&nbsp;

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That's that from Delhi as the <a href="https://twitter.com/DelhiCapitals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DelhiCapitals</a> win by 16 runs and are through to the Playoffs 😎💪 <a href="https://t.co/KtxeYqEwUY">pic.twitter.com/KtxeYqEwUY</a>
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Dhawan was then accompanied by the skipper Shreyas Iyer and both stitched an impeccable partnership of 68 runs.&nbsp;

Dhawan scored his fifth half-century and with this Dhawan surpassed Sunrisers Hyderabad`s batsman Jonny Bairstow run tally of 445 runs to become the second highest run-getter in this season of IPL with 451 runs.&nbsp;

Iyer too scored a half-century. However, Dhawan (50) and Iyer (52) both were sent back to the pavilion in quick succession.&nbsp;

Shortly after that, Rishabh Pant and Colin Ingram too lost their wickets.&nbsp;

Sherfane Rutherford and Axar Patel then came out to bat and both formed a crucial partnership of 46 runs which helped their side post a target of 188 for the visitors.&nbsp;

Delhi will now visit Chennai to compete with Chennai on May 1 while Bangalore will host Rajasthan on April 30.&nbsp;

Delhi made their way to the playoffs for the first time since 2012 as they defeated Bangalore by 16 runs in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday. Chasing a total of 188 runs, Bangalore's openers, Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli, gave their side a brilliant start.

Delhi made their way to the playoffs for the first time since 2012 as they defeated Bangalore by 16 runs in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday. Chasing a total of 188 runs, Bangalore's openers, Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli, gave their side a brilliant start. Both formed a 63-run partnership before Kagiso Rabada got hold of Patel (39). AB de Villiers then joined Skipper Kolhi. However, their partnership did not last long as Kohli became a victim of Axar Patel. Shivam Dube then formed a 35-run partnership with De Villiers before the latter got out on 17 runs. Heinrich Klaasen then joined Dube. However, Amit Mishra sent both the batsmen back to the pavilion in the 13th over. The @DelhiCapitals have now claimed the top spot in the #VIVOIPL Points Table. Will the @mipaltan join #CSK and #DC for the playoffs tonight? pic.twitter.com/o6yH32XHCI — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 28, 2019 × The rest of the batsmen struggled a bit to form a good partnership as they kept on losing wickets. However, Marcus Stoinis and Gurkeerat Singh formed a 49-run partnership which helped their side get closer to the target. Singh scored 27 runs before he gave away his wicket which brought Washington Sundar to bat but Sundar too was sent back in the very next over. Stoinis played a scintillating knock of 32 runs off 24 deliveries but it was not enough to take his side over the line as they lost the match by 16 runs. Earlier, Delhi got off to a steady start as both the openers, Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan, struck regular boundaries. However, Shaw gave away his wicket in the fourth over after scoring 18 runs. That's that from Delhi as the @DelhiCapitals win by 16 runs and are through to the Playoffs 😎💪 pic.twitter.com/KtxeYqEwUY — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 28, 2019 × Dhawan was then accompanied by the skipper Shreyas Iyer and both stitched an impeccable partnership of 68 runs. Dhawan scored his fifth half-century and with this Dhawan surpassed Sunrisers Hyderabad`s batsman Jonny Bairstow run tally of 445 runs to become the second highest run-getter in this season of IPL with 451 runs. Iyer too scored a half-century. However, Dhawan (50) and Iyer (52) both were sent back to the pavilion in quick succession. Shortly after that, Rishabh Pant and Colin Ingram too lost their wickets. Sherfane Rutherford and Axar Patel then came out to bat and both formed a crucial partnership of 46 runs which helped their side post a target of 188 for the visitors. Delhi will now visit Chennai to compete with Chennai on May 1 while Bangalore will host Rajasthan on April 30.

IPL 2019: Delhi storm into playoffs after defeating Bangalore by 16 runs

Rajasthan's bowler Jaydev Unadkat said that he had a tough time regaining his form which was needed to boost his confidence in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League.&nbsp;

Unadkat took two wickets giving 26 runs besides latching on to three fine catches against Hyderabad on Saturday that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2019-rajasthan-beat-hyderabad-by-7-wickets-to-keep-playoff-hopes-alive-214016">Rajasthan won by seven wickets</a>.&nbsp;

"I have had a tough time and I needed this to boost my own confidence," said Unadkat during the post-match presentation.&nbsp;

He also said that the management supported him during the tough times.&nbsp;"The management and Smudge (Smith) have been backing me. I needed them in such tough moments, really glad," added Unadkat.&nbsp;

Opting to bowl in a must-win match, Rajasthan first restricted Hyderabad to 160 for eight and then chased down the target in 19.1 overs.&nbsp;

By virtue of this win, Rajasthan have now moved to the sixth position in the eight-team standings with 10 points from 12 games. &nbsp;

During the post-match conference, Unadkat said, "I can't really express how much I needed this performance for my own confidence. Times have been tough but I have grown strong from this and have become better as a player. I think that's how it is."&nbsp;

"In T20 you can't always expect that as a bowler you are going to win matches for your team in every single game. As long as you are contributing in every game and you are trying to be there by reading what the batsmen wants do and not allowing him to do, that's what is important.&nbsp;

"To be honest this season I have been trying whatever I have and I am happy with the way things have gone but the figures don't suggest that," added Unadkat, who was adjudged player-of-the-match on Saturday.&nbsp;

Rajasthan's bowler Jaydev Unadkat said that he had a tough time regaining his form which was needed to boost his confidence in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League.

Rajasthan's bowler Jaydev Unadkat said that he had a tough time regaining his form which was needed to boost his confidence in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League. Unadkat took two wickets giving 26 runs besides latching on to three fine catches against Hyderabad on Saturday that Rajasthan won by seven wickets. "I have had a tough time and I needed this to boost my own confidence," said Unadkat during the post-match presentation. He also said that the management supported him during the tough times. "The management and Smudge (Smith) have been backing me. I needed them in such tough moments, really glad," added Unadkat. Opting to bowl in a must-win match, Rajasthan first restricted Hyderabad to 160 for eight and then chased down the target in 19.1 overs. By virtue of this win, Rajasthan have now moved to the sixth position in the eight-team standings with 10 points from 12 games. During the post-match conference, Unadkat said, "I can't really express how much I needed this performance for my own confidence. Times have been tough but I have grown strong from this and have become better as a player. I think that's how it is." "In T20 you can't always expect that as a bowler you are going to win matches for your team in every single game. As long as you are contributing in every game and you are trying to be there by reading what the batsmen wants do and not allowing him to do, that's what is important. "To be honest this season I have been trying whatever I have and I am happy with the way things have gone but the figures don't suggest that," added Unadkat, who was adjudged player-of-the-match on Saturday.

'I needed this to boost my own confidence,' says Rajasthan's Jaydev Unadkat

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Friday didn't turn up for Chennai due to fever and Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma said the veteran stumper's absence came as a "massive boost" for his side en route to their <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2019-rohit-sharma-led-mumbai-beat-chennai-by-46-runs-213798">46-run win in an IPL match</a> on Friday.&nbsp;

Sans Dhoni, Chennai failed to chase down a 156-run target set by Mumbai, bundling out for 109, their lowest total at home.&nbsp;

"It was a massive boost that MSD (Dhoni) wasn't around. Because his presence does a lot for their team. When you don't have Dhoni when they're chasing the score, then it becomes difficult for them," Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony. &nbsp;

"I'm sure his presence was missed by CSK. But he was sick, it's not in his control either," added the right-handed batsman, who struck 67, his first fifty of the season. &nbsp;

Rohit said it was a blessing in disguise for him to lose the toss as they too would wanted to chase on what eventually turned out to be another slow Chepauk surface. "I thought it was better to lose the toss since we wanted to chase as well. But we knew whether we bat first or bowl first, we'll still have to play good cricket. We spoke about that at the start of the game, but it was a great effort by the boys since it's not easy to come here and play," he said. &nbsp;

Rohit too was mighty relived to have scored his first half-century of the season Friday.&nbsp;

"It was a satisfying innings. I was getting 30s and 40s but not getting half-centuries. At no point was I worried about my form because I was hitting the ball well. I knew the day will come, and I guess today was the day," he said.&nbsp;

Chennai stand-in skipper Suresh Raina blamed the team's batting department for the loss. &nbsp;

"We didn't bat well. We kept losing wickets every 2-3 overs, so our batsmen need to take more responsibility. Our bowling has always been good this season. We thought 155 was chaseable. But we lost too many wickets in the powerplay and middle overs," he said. &nbsp;

"We didn't rotate the strike well either. It is important to go out there and see a few balls out, and then decide which bowler you want to go after. We need to sit as a batting unit and see where we're doing wrong. We have power hitters, we have experienced batsmen, we just need to relax as a batting unit."&nbsp;

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Friday didn't turn up for Chennai due to fever and Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma said the veteran stumper's absence came as a "massive boost" for his side en route to their 46-run win in an IPL match on Friday.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Friday didn't turn up for Chennai due to fever and Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma said the veteran stumper's absence came as a "massive boost" for his side en route to their 46-run win in an IPL match on Friday. Sans Dhoni, Chennai failed to chase down a 156-run target set by Mumbai, bundling out for 109, their lowest total at home. "It was a massive boost that MSD (Dhoni) wasn't around. Because his presence does a lot for their team. When you don't have Dhoni when they're chasing the score, then it becomes difficult for them," Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "I'm sure his presence was missed by CSK. But he was sick, it's not in his control either," added the right-handed batsman, who struck 67, his first fifty of the season. Rohit said it was a blessing in disguise for him to lose the toss as they too would wanted to chase on what eventually turned out to be another slow Chepauk surface. "I thought it was better to lose the toss since we wanted to chase as well. But we knew whether we bat first or bowl first, we'll still have to play good cricket. We spoke about that at the start of the game, but it was a great effort by the boys since it's not easy to come here and play," he said. Rohit too was mighty relived to have scored his first half-century of the season Friday. "It was a satisfying innings. I was getting 30s and 40s but not getting half-centuries. At no point was I worried about my form because I was hitting the ball well. I knew the day will come, and I guess today was the day," he said. Chennai stand-in skipper Suresh Raina blamed the team's batting department for the loss. "We didn't bat well. We kept losing wickets every 2-3 overs, so our batsmen need to take more responsibility. Our bowling has always been good this season. We thought 155 was chaseable. But we lost too many wickets in the powerplay and middle overs," he said. "We didn't rotate the strike well either. It is important to go out there and see a few balls out, and then decide which bowler you want to go after. We need to sit as a batting unit and see where we're doing wrong. We have power hitters, we have experienced batsmen, we just need to relax as a batting unit."

MS Dhoni's absence was a massive boost for us: Rohit Sharma

IPL 2019: Match preview of Delhi vs Bangalore and Kolkata vs Mumbai

Star Kolkata all-rounder <a href="https://www.wionews.com/search?q=andre+russell">Andre Russell</a> lamented the "bad decisions" taken by his team in a disappointing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League</a> campaign which has seen the side lose six games in a row.&nbsp;

Russell has been the biggest impact player for Kolkata with three man-of-the-match performances from their four wins but his team has let him down.

"We have a good team but if you make bad decisions then you will always lose games and that's what we've been doing. If we had enough time, I could pinpoint a few games where if we just looked to bowl tighter in areas or bring in right bowlers at the right time, we could have won," Russell said.

"As a professional cricketer, to be in this position is not the most healthiest position. In terms of decision, we have been bowling wrongly at the wrong time, that's what been causing for us to keep losing in simple ways," Russell said on the eve of the game against Mumbai.

The Jamaican who has amassed 406 runs from 10 innings at an outrageous strike rate of 209.27 was particularly pained at Kolkata's failure to defend 176 against a "weak" Rajasthan.

"I'm disappointed that we get defeated by a team Rajasthan with the weak batting order. If we can't restrict a team for under 170 with our bowling attack then we will need miracles against a strong team like Mumbai.

"They said we have been struggling in batting. But the batting has not been struggling really. We are getting the totals that we should have defended.&nbsp;

"But when you bowl as bad as our bowlers, you don't really take catches -- we have been the worst fielding team so far."

Russell said the atmosphere in the team is not healthy as he likes to keep himself confined to his room.

"We have to make sure that we have a good practice session, do whatever it takes, put our body on the line and make sure that we take Kolkata over the line for next three games.&nbsp;

"I find myself just been in my room for the last couple of days losing games after games. I'm not the type of guy to do the walking around... It's hard to do the walk around losing six games in a row.&nbsp;

"It's not healthy, to be honest. I'm feeling down at the moment but tomorrow when we cross the rope my energy level will be 150. As cricketers, we have to have the passion inside, and not just to show it on the TV," he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Star Kolkata all-rounder Andre Russell lamented the "bad decisions" taken by his team in a disappointing Indian Premier League campaign which has seen the side lose six games in a row.

Star Kolkata all-rounder Andre Russell lamented the "bad decisions" taken by his team in a disappointing Indian Premier League campaign which has seen the side lose six games in a row. Russell has been the biggest impact player for Kolkata with three man-of-the-match performances from their four wins but his team has let him down. "We have a good team but if you make bad decisions then you will always lose games and that's what we've been doing. If we had enough time, I could pinpoint a few games where if we just looked to bowl tighter in areas or bring in right bowlers at the right time, we could have won," Russell said. "As a professional cricketer, to be in this position is not the most healthiest position. In terms of decision, we have been bowling wrongly at the wrong time, that's what been causing for us to keep losing in simple ways," Russell said on the eve of the game against Mumbai. The Jamaican who has amassed 406 runs from 10 innings at an outrageous strike rate of 209.27 was particularly pained at Kolkata's failure to defend 176 against a "weak" Rajasthan. "I'm disappointed that we get defeated by a team Rajasthan with the weak batting order. If we can't restrict a team for under 170 with our bowling attack then we will need miracles against a strong team like Mumbai. "They said we have been struggling in batting. But the batting has not been struggling really. We are getting the totals that we should have defended. "But when you bowl as bad as our bowlers, you don't really take catches -- we have been the worst fielding team so far." Russell said the atmosphere in the team is not healthy as he likes to keep himself confined to his room. "We have to make sure that we have a good practice session, do whatever it takes, put our body on the line and make sure that we take Kolkata over the line for next three games. "I find myself just been in my room for the last couple of days losing games after games. I'm not the type of guy to do the walking around... It's hard to do the walk around losing six games in a row. "It's not healthy, to be honest. I'm feeling down at the moment but tomorrow when we cross the rope my energy level will be 150. As cricketers, we have to have the passion inside, and not just to show it on the TV," he added.

Kolkata's Andre Russell says team atmosphere not 'healthy'

Call of duty: Overseas players leave IPL midway for World Cup

Seventeen-year-old Riyan Parag overshadowed Dinesh Karthik's heroics to guide Rajasthan to a three-wicket win over Kolkata here at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.

With the win, Rajasthan has pushed Bangalore to the bottom place in the point table, taking the seventh position. Kolkata, on the other hand, is in the sixth position.

Chasing 176, Rajasthan got off to a brilliant start as Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson added 53 runs for the opening wicket.&nbsp;

Sunil Narine struck Rahane leg-before for 34 to get a vital breakthrough.&nbsp;In the next over, Piyush Chawla got rid Samson (22) to unsettle Rajasthan.&nbsp;

With captain Steve Smith, Rajasthan was still in a position to turn the tables.&nbsp;However, Narine returned and dismissed Smith cheaply for two.

Riyan Parag formed brief stands with Ben Stokes (11), Stuart Binny (11) and Shreyas Gopal (18) to shrug off the pressure before finding support in Jofar Archer.

Riyan and Archer punished Kolkata bowlers in the death overs to inch closer towards the victory.&nbsp;

With 18 required from 12 balls, Riyan (47) whacked a six to Russell before his bat hit the top of the stumps, forcing him to leave Archer in the middle.&nbsp;

Having needed nine from the final over, Archer smashed a four and a six to Prasidh Krishna, taking Rajasthan over the line with four balls to spare.

Earlier, captain Dinesh Karthik's monumental effort powered Kolkata to 175 for the loss of six after sent in to bat.

Varun Aaron got a major breakthrough for Rajasthan as he got rid of Chris Lynn for a three-ball golden duck in the opening over and returned to dismiss Shubman Gill for 14.&nbsp;

Soon after, Aaron sent just-settled Nitish Rana (21) as he caught the left-hander at cover off Gopal. Karthik and Narine stitched 38-runs together to recover sinking Kolkata at 42/3 under nine overs.&nbsp;

On a Jofar Archer's delivery, a poor running between Kolkata batsmen resulted in the dismissal of Narine (11).&nbsp;

Karthik played to deep square leg and ran for double but Narine was very slow and was well out of the crease at the non-striker's end when Aaron threw the ball and Rahane whipped the bails off.

Karthik built brief partnerships with big-hitter Andre Russell (14) and Carlos Brathwaite (5). Both West Indies batsmen tried to display their attacking form but Rajasthan denied them from going big.

Kolkata captain and Rinku Singh added 44 runs for the seventh wicket in the death overs. Karthik finished 97 unbeaten, his highest ever score in the history of IPL to post a decent but below-par total.

Rajasthan will next play against Hyderabad on April 27, whereas Kolkata will take on Mumbai on April 28.

Seventeen-year-old Riyan Parag overshadowed Dinesh Karthik's heroics to guide Rajasthan to a three-wicket win over Kolkata here at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. With the win, Rajasthan has pushed Bangalore to the bottom place in the point table, taking the seventh position.

Seventeen-year-old Riyan Parag overshadowed Dinesh Karthik's heroics to guide Rajasthan to a three-wicket win over Kolkata here at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. With the win, Rajasthan has pushed Bangalore to the bottom place in the point table, taking the seventh position. Kolkata, on the other hand, is in the sixth position. Chasing 176, Rajasthan got off to a brilliant start as Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson added 53 runs for the opening wicket. Sunil Narine struck Rahane leg-before for 34 to get a vital breakthrough. In the next over, Piyush Chawla got rid Samson (22) to unsettle Rajasthan. With captain Steve Smith, Rajasthan was still in a position to turn the tables. However, Narine returned and dismissed Smith cheaply for two. Riyan Parag formed brief stands with Ben Stokes (11), Stuart Binny (11) and Shreyas Gopal (18) to shrug off the pressure before finding support in Jofar Archer. Riyan and Archer punished Kolkata bowlers in the death overs to inch closer towards the victory. With 18 required from 12 balls, Riyan (47) whacked a six to Russell before his bat hit the top of the stumps, forcing him to leave Archer in the middle. Having needed nine from the final over, Archer smashed a four and a six to Prasidh Krishna, taking Rajasthan over the line with four balls to spare. Earlier, captain Dinesh Karthik's monumental effort powered Kolkata to 175 for the loss of six after sent in to bat. Varun Aaron got a major breakthrough for Rajasthan as he got rid of Chris Lynn for a three-ball golden duck in the opening over and returned to dismiss Shubman Gill for 14. Soon after, Aaron sent just-settled Nitish Rana (21) as he caught the left-hander at cover off Gopal. Karthik and Narine stitched 38-runs together to recover sinking Kolkata at 42/3 under nine overs. On a Jofar Archer's delivery, a poor running between Kolkata batsmen resulted in the dismissal of Narine (11). Karthik played to deep square leg and ran for double but Narine was very slow and was well out of the crease at the non-striker's end when Aaron threw the ball and Rahane whipped the bails off. Karthik built brief partnerships with big-hitter Andre Russell (14) and Carlos Brathwaite (5). Both West Indies batsmen tried to display their attacking form but Rajasthan denied them from going big. Kolkata captain and Rinku Singh added 44 runs for the seventh wicket in the death overs. Karthik finished 97 unbeaten, his highest ever score in the history of IPL to post a decent but below-par total. Rajasthan will next play against Hyderabad on April 27, whereas Kolkata will take on Mumbai on April 28.

IPL 2019: Karthik's heroics in vain, Riyan guides Rajasthan to 3-wicket win

While Rajasthan defeated Kolkata, Hyderabad suffered a six wicket loss at the hands of Chennai.

IPL 2019: Rajasthan aim to continue winning momentum as they host Hyderabad

Chennai's regular skipper&nbsp;Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been ruled out of an <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League</a> game against Mumbai on Friday due to fever. In his absence, Suresh Raina will lead the team at the Chidambaram Stadium.&nbsp;

"MS and Jaddu are not well, they have fever and they will miss today's game," said Raina during the toss.&nbsp;

This is the second time Dhoni has missed a Chennai&nbsp;game this season -- the first being against Hyderabad because of back spasms. Chennai had lost&nbsp;that match.&nbsp;

"Thala (Dhoni) missing out a game for the second time this season, this time due to fever!" Chennai team&nbsp;wrote on its Twitter handle.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Thala?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Thala</a> missing out a game for the second time this season, this time due to fever! 😢
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This is only the fourth IPL match Dhoni is not playing for Chennai.&nbsp;

Chennai's regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been ruled out of an Indian Premier League game against Mumbai on Friday due to fever. In his absence, Suresh Raina will lead the team at the Chidambaram Stadium.

Chennai's regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been ruled out of an Indian Premier League game against Mumbai on Friday due to fever. In his absence, Suresh Raina will lead the team at the Chidambaram Stadium. "MS and Jaddu are not well, they have fever and they will miss today's game," said Raina during the toss. This is the second time Dhoni has missed a Chennai game this season -- the first being against Hyderabad because of back spasms. Chennai had lost that match. "Thala (Dhoni) missing out a game for the second time this season, this time due to fever!" Chennai team wrote on its Twitter handle. #Thala missing out a game for the second time this season, this time due to fever! 😢 — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 26, 2019 × This is only the fourth IPL match Dhoni is not playing for Chennai.

MS Dhoni ruled out of IPL game against Mumbai

With Delhi placed comfortably at the second spot in the ongoing IPL, head coach Ricky Ponting Friday said keeping faith in talented players like <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2019-ganguly-says-wow-ponting-feels-pant-is-on-different-planet-212873&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwifmeuLvu3hAhVC6XMBHRYOBvkQFjADegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2A6nqhhXb1R8OMo_6w6YOb">Rishabh Pant </a>has helped the team in finding the form at this crucial juncture of the competition.&nbsp;

"There have been questions asked about where we should have dropped certain players in some matches, but I believe when you have talented players in your squad, you just keep backing them", Ponting said.&nbsp;

We have players who can turn it around quite quickly as it takes just one inning or match to get going in a tournament like this," the 44-year-old Australian legend said.

"... Players like Rishabh might have had certain thoughts about World Cup selection, but to be honest, that 78 not out in the first match against Mumbai got us the win.

I'm glad he found form again against RR, and what you want from players like him in such a tournament is that they win you three or four matches each throughout the season, and he has won two games for us so far, and if he remains in form, he can get a couple of more wins."

Delhi&nbsp;now has 14 points from 11 matches, which include seven wins and four losses, and Ponting believes that his team is peaking at the right time.&nbsp;

"We have won the last four out of our five matches, and with three more matches to go, I feel we are going in the right direction'', Ponting said.&nbsp;

''I am happy that the team is peaking at the right time, with better communication amongst the group," he said.

Asked which victory he has enjoyed the most, Ponting said that the away win against&nbsp;Hyderabad by 39 runs was the sweetest in terms of turning it around from a losing situation.&nbsp;

"I really liked the Hyderabad win because we did not do much right in that match but still found a way to win. It was more the way we fought back, probably after their batting powerplay, they batted second and they were 60-0, and the game was starting to slip away but there were some really good signs in that game from our side," said the former Australia captain.

"The moments when we have been under pressure the most, that is when we have started to fight, and fight under pressure, and one thing that I have tried to say to the boys is that we do not lose a match until the last ball is bowled.

We saw that in our last match against Rajasthan as well.

We fought our way back into the match and then registered a win," Ponting&nbsp;added.

Delhi will&nbsp;play against&nbsp;Bangalore on Sunday.

With Delhi placed comfortably at the second spot in the ongoing IPL, head coach Ricky Ponting Friday said keeping faith in talented players like Rishabh Pant has helped the team in finding the form at this crucial juncture of the competition.

With Delhi placed comfortably at the second spot in the ongoing IPL, head coach Ricky Ponting Friday said keeping faith in talented players like Rishabh Pant has helped the team in finding the form at this crucial juncture of the competition. "There have been questions asked about where we should have dropped certain players in some matches, but I believe when you have talented players in your squad, you just keep backing them", Ponting said. We have players who can turn it around quite quickly as it takes just one inning or match to get going in a tournament like this," the 44-year-old Australian legend said. "... Players like Rishabh might have had certain thoughts about World Cup selection, but to be honest, that 78 not out in the first match against Mumbai got us the win. I'm glad he found form again against RR, and what you want from players like him in such a tournament is that they win you three or four matches each throughout the season, and he has won two games for us so far, and if he remains in form, he can get a couple of more wins." Delhi now has 14 points from 11 matches, which include seven wins and four losses, and Ponting believes that his team is peaking at the right time. "We have won the last four out of our five matches, and with three more matches to go, I feel we are going in the right direction'', Ponting said. ''I am happy that the team is peaking at the right time, with better communication amongst the group," he said. Asked which victory he has enjoyed the most, Ponting said that the away win against Hyderabad by 39 runs was the sweetest in terms of turning it around from a losing situation. "I really liked the Hyderabad win because we did not do much right in that match but still found a way to win. It was more the way we fought back, probably after their batting powerplay, they batted second and they were 60-0, and the game was starting to slip away but there were some really good signs in that game from our side," said the former Australia captain. "The moments when we have been under pressure the most, that is when we have started to fight, and fight under pressure, and one thing that I have tried to say to the boys is that we do not lose a match until the last ball is bowled. We saw that in our last match against Rajasthan as well. We fought our way back into the match and then registered a win," Ponting added. Delhi will play against Bangalore on Sunday.

IPL 2019: Keeping faith in match winners like Rishabh Pant is the key to Delhi's success, says Ricky Ponting

IPL 2019: Mumbai to take on Chennai at Chidambaram Stadium

Cricketing legend <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/9-famous-quotes-by-sachin-tendulkar-that-defined-his-cricketing-career-213100">Sachin Tendulkar</a> was served a notice by Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Ombudsman-cum-Ethics-Officer Justice DK Jain on Wednesday for his alleged 'conflict of interest' by serving as mentor of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League</a> franchise Mumbai team as well as being a member of Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC).&nbsp;

A complaint was received by the Ombudsman under Article 39 of the rules and regulations of the BCCI, regarding certain acts allegedly constituting as a conflict of interest on Tendulkar's part.

The 46-year-old has been asked to file his written response supported by the duly executed affidavit on or before April 28th.

The complaint was filed by Sanjeev Gupta, a member of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA).

Justice Jain, in the notice to Tendulkar, wrote, "A complaint has been received by the Ethics Officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India under Article 39 of the Rules and Regulations of the BCCI, regarding certain acts, allegedly constituting as "conflict of interest on your part".

"You may file your written response to the accompanying complaint, supported by duly executed affidavit, on or before 28th April 2019, with the Office of the Ethics Officer, BCCI, Mumbai for further proceedings in the matter," he added.

The ombudsman also stated that failure to respond will mean that no further chance to explain their point of view will be given.

"On your failure to respond to the present notice, the Ethics Officer shall be constrained to proceed in your absence, without giving any further opportunity of filing a response to the complaint, to you".

"A copy of this notice is also being sent to the BCCI to enable it to file its response to the accompanying complaint, in writing or before 28th April 2019, before the Ethics Officer," he added.

Earlier, former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly had to appear before Justice Jain for "conflict of interest" indicating his triple role as Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President, CAC Member as well as advisor of IPL franchise Delhi.

Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was served a notice by Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Ombudsman-cum-Ethics-Officer Justice DK Jain on Wednesday for his alleged 'conflict of interest' by serving as mentor of Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai team as well as being a member of Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC).

Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was served a notice by Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Ombudsman-cum-Ethics-Officer Justice DK Jain on Wednesday for his alleged 'conflict of interest' by serving as mentor of Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai team as well as being a member of Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). A complaint was received by the Ombudsman under Article 39 of the rules and regulations of the BCCI, regarding certain acts allegedly constituting as a conflict of interest on Tendulkar's part. The 46-year-old has been asked to file his written response supported by the duly executed affidavit on or before April 28th. The complaint was filed by Sanjeev Gupta, a member of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA). Justice Jain, in the notice to Tendulkar, wrote, "A complaint has been received by the Ethics Officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India under Article 39 of the Rules and Regulations of the BCCI, regarding certain acts, allegedly constituting as "conflict of interest on your part". "You may file your written response to the accompanying complaint, supported by duly executed affidavit, on or before 28th April 2019, with the Office of the Ethics Officer, BCCI, Mumbai for further proceedings in the matter," he added. The ombudsman also stated that failure to respond will mean that no further chance to explain their point of view will be given. "On your failure to respond to the present notice, the Ethics Officer shall be constrained to proceed in your absence, without giving any further opportunity of filing a response to the complaint, to you". "A copy of this notice is also being sent to the BCCI to enable it to file its response to the accompanying complaint, in writing or before 28th April 2019, before the Ethics Officer," he added. Earlier, former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly had to appear before Justice Jain for "conflict of interest" indicating his triple role as Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President, CAC Member as well as advisor of IPL franchise Delhi.

BCCI Ombudsman issues notice to Sachin Tendulkar for 'conflict of interest'

AB de Villiers helped Bangalore to defeat Punjab by 17 runs here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Chasing 203, Punjab got off to a superb start with Chris Gayle and KL Rahul replying with back-to-back boundaries.&nbsp;

AB de Villiers became the game changer as he stopped Gayle (23) at long-on off Umesh Yadav.

Mayank Agarwal and Rahul recovered Punjab with their 59-run stand for the second wicket.&nbsp;

Bangalore applied brakes on the scoring as Marcus Stoinis dismissed Mayank (35), who was caught by a tumbling Yuzvendra Chahal at midwicket.&nbsp;

In the next over, Moeen Ali got rid off Rahul (42) to put Punjab under pressure.

Nicholas Pooran and David Miller build a strong 68-run partnership to take Punjab home but de Villiers denied the visitors. Navdeep Saini dismissed Miller (24), who was caught by de Villiers at long-on.

The final over consumed Ravichandran Ashwin and Hardus Viljoen, which helped Umesh Yadav pick three wickets and Punjab ended for 185/7.

Earlier, asked to bat, AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis powered Bangalore, especially in the death&nbsp;overs to post a daunting total of 202 for the loss of four.&nbsp;

At one stage even 160 seemed difficult as the host were 84/4 under 11 overs.&nbsp;

But an unbeaten 121-run partnership between de Villiers and Stoinis gave Bangalore bowlers something to defend.

De Villiers punished Mohammed Shami for 21 runs, including two sixes, and slapped another six to Hardus Viljoen in the final over before Stoinis whacked two sixes and as many sixes to steal 27 runs from the last over.&nbsp;

De Villiers and Stoinis finished unbeaten on 82 and 46, respectively.

Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel displayed their attacking form but the attempt short lived.&nbsp;

Kohli played a drive into the covers off Shami but Mandeep Singh caught him for 13, leaving a full house in silence.

Patel, too, faced a similar fate. Murugan Ashwin got a vital breakthrough as he dismissed Patel (43), who was caught by Ravichandran Ashwin at covers.&nbsp;

Big hitter Moeen Ali (4) and Akshdeep Nath (3) returned to the dugout in quick succession without troubling the scoreboard much.

Bangalore will next play against Delhi on April 28, whereas Punjab will take on Hyderabad on April 29.

AB de Villiers helped Bangalore to defeat Punjab by 17 runs here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Chasing 203, Punjab got off to a superb start with Chris Gayle and KL Rahul replying with back-to-back boundaries.

AB de Villiers helped Bangalore to defeat Punjab by 17 runs here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Chasing 203, Punjab got off to a superb start with Chris Gayle and KL Rahul replying with back-to-back boundaries. AB de Villiers became the game changer as he stopped Gayle (23) at long-on off Umesh Yadav. Mayank Agarwal and Rahul recovered Punjab with their 59-run stand for the second wicket. Bangalore applied brakes on the scoring as Marcus Stoinis dismissed Mayank (35), who was caught by a tumbling Yuzvendra Chahal at midwicket. In the next over, Moeen Ali got rid off Rahul (42) to put Punjab under pressure. Nicholas Pooran and David Miller build a strong 68-run partnership to take Punjab home but de Villiers denied the visitors. Navdeep Saini dismissed Miller (24), who was caught by de Villiers at long-on. The final over consumed Ravichandran Ashwin and Hardus Viljoen, which helped Umesh Yadav pick three wickets and Punjab ended for 185/7. Earlier, asked to bat, AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis powered Bangalore, especially in the death overs to post a daunting total of 202 for the loss of four. At one stage even 160 seemed difficult as the host were 84/4 under 11 overs. But an unbeaten 121-run partnership between de Villiers and Stoinis gave Bangalore bowlers something to defend. De Villiers punished Mohammed Shami for 21 runs, including two sixes, and slapped another six to Hardus Viljoen in the final over before Stoinis whacked two sixes and as many sixes to steal 27 runs from the last over. De Villiers and Stoinis finished unbeaten on 82 and 46, respectively. Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel displayed their attacking form but the attempt short lived. Kohli played a drive into the covers off Shami but Mandeep Singh caught him for 13, leaving a full house in silence. Patel, too, faced a similar fate. Murugan Ashwin got a vital breakthrough as he dismissed Patel (43), who was caught by Ravichandran Ashwin at covers. Big hitter Moeen Ali (4) and Akshdeep Nath (3) returned to the dugout in quick succession without troubling the scoreboard much. Bangalore will next play against Delhi on April 28, whereas Punjab will take on Hyderabad on April 29.

IPL 2019: Bangalore beat Punjab by 17 runs to register 4th win of the season

Virat Kohli was all charged up during Bangalore's game against Punjab at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Bangalore not only defeated Punjab by 17 runs but also registered their third win on the trot.&nbsp;

But how can a game in IPL be complete without some aggression on the field. During the clash, the fans got to witness two send-off from both team's skipper.&nbsp;

First, it was Ashwin, who celebrated Virat Kohli's wicket with a lot of aggression, later Kohli returned the favour with an abusive send-off. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Chasing 203 to win, Punjab needed 27 runs off the final over.&nbsp;

Captain Ravichandran Ashwin came to the crease and hit Umesh Yadav's first delivery for a six.&nbsp;Ashwin hoped for the same result on the next delivery too but he mistimed his shot and the ball went straight to Kohli.&nbsp;

After safely completing the catch, Kohli made some gestures it seemed he even abused his Indian teammate.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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Karma returns!! 😅<a href="https://twitter.com/ashwinravi99?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ashwinravi99</a> started first.. Then <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> paying back! That's it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AshwinVsKohli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AshwinVsKohli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ashwin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ashwin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kohli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kohli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RCBvKXIP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RCBvKXIP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KXIPvRCB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KXIPvRCB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPL2019</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bengaluru?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bengaluru</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RCB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RCB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlayBold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PlayBold</a> <a href="https://t.co/cS2Vz8SxhZ">pic.twitter.com/cS2Vz8SxhZ</a>
— Chowkidar Shruthi Thumbri 🇮🇳 (@ShruthiThumbri) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShruthiThumbri/status/1121152587158433793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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After the match, when asked about the send-off, Ashwin defended his equal number saying that they both are passionate players.

Sent in to bat, AB de Villiers' unbeaten 82 off 44 balls took Bangalore to a formidable 202/4.

In reply, Punjab finished at 185/7 in their stipulated 20 overs.

Bangalore, who lost their first six matches of IPL 2019, are now on eight points with three games left.

Virat Kohli was all charged up during Bangalore's game against Punjab at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Bangalore not only defeated Punjab by 17 runs but also registered their third win on the trot.

Virat Kohli was all charged up during Bangalore's game against Punjab at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Bangalore not only defeated Punjab by 17 runs but also registered their third win on the trot. But how can a game in IPL be complete without some aggression on the field. During the clash, the fans got to witness two send-off from both team's skipper. First, it was Ashwin, who celebrated Virat Kohli's wicket with a lot of aggression, later Kohli returned the favour with an abusive send-off. Chasing 203 to win, Punjab needed 27 runs off the final over. Captain Ravichandran Ashwin came to the crease and hit Umesh Yadav's first delivery for a six. Ashwin hoped for the same result on the next delivery too but he mistimed his shot and the ball went straight to Kohli. After safely completing the catch, Kohli made some gestures it seemed he even abused his Indian teammate. Karma returns!! 😅@ashwinravi99 started first.. Then @imVkohli paying back! That's it. #AshwinVsKohli #Ashwin #Kohli #RCBvKXIP #KXIPvRCB #IPL2019 #Bengaluru #RCB #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/cS2Vz8SxhZ — Chowkidar Shruthi Thumbri 🇮🇳 (@ShruthiThumbri) April 24, 2019 × After the match, when asked about the send-off, Ashwin defended his equal number saying that they both are passionate players. Sent in to bat, AB de Villiers' unbeaten 82 off 44 balls took Bangalore to a formidable 202/4. In reply, Punjab finished at 185/7 in their stipulated 20 overs. Bangalore, who lost their first six matches of IPL 2019, are now on eight points with three games left.

Watch: Virat Kohli's aggressive send-off to Punjab's Ashwin, Twitter terms it 'Karma'

The South African bowler Dale Steyn will miss the remaining Bangalore matches in the ongoing edition of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League</a> (IPL) due to inflammation in his shoulder.&nbsp;

"Dale Steyn has been prescribed with ample rest due to inflammation in his shoulder. On account of the state of his health, Dale will not be available to take part further in the ongoing season of IPL,"&nbsp;Sanjeev Churiwala, chairman of Bangalore team said in an official statement on Thursday.&nbsp;

Steyn was acquired by Bangalore as a replacement for the injured Australian bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile on April 12.&nbsp;

The 35-year-old bowler played just two matches in the ongoing edition of IPL. He took a total of four wickets in those two matches.&nbsp;

Steyn marked his return to Bangalore as he had earlier played for the team between 2008 and 2010 taking, 27 wickets from 28 matches.&nbsp;

The bowler had rejuvenated Bangalore's bowling lineup and he was a key figure in the team`s winning performances against Kolkata and Chennai in the ongoing edition of the IPL.&nbsp;

Bangalore are&nbsp;currently ranked at the seventh position in the IPL league standings.&nbsp;

The team next takes on Delhi Capitals at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on April 28.&nbsp;

The South African bowler Dale Steyn will miss the remaining Bangalore matches in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to inflammation in his shoulder.

The South African bowler Dale Steyn will miss the remaining Bangalore matches in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to inflammation in his shoulder. "Dale Steyn has been prescribed with ample rest due to inflammation in his shoulder. On account of the state of his health, Dale will not be available to take part further in the ongoing season of IPL," Sanjeev Churiwala, chairman of Bangalore team said in an official statement on Thursday. Steyn was acquired by Bangalore as a replacement for the injured Australian bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile on April 12. The 35-year-old bowler played just two matches in the ongoing edition of IPL. He took a total of four wickets in those two matches. Steyn marked his return to Bangalore as he had earlier played for the team between 2008 and 2010 taking, 27 wickets from 28 matches. The bowler had rejuvenated Bangalore's bowling lineup and he was a key figure in the team`s winning performances against Kolkata and Chennai in the ongoing edition of the IPL. Bangalore are currently ranked at the seventh position in the IPL league standings. The team next takes on Delhi Capitals at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on April 28.

Dale Steyn to miss Bangalore's remaining matches in IPL

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